It's panto time again at Salford Arts Theatre...Oh yes it is! And this year's classic is The Snow Queen, which formed the base for the film Frozen. As in all of the Arts Theatre's ace past productions, there's a Salford twinge in it and enough humour to keep both adults and kids giggling.
"It's very funny but also as much for adults as kids, I think the adults end up laughing more than the children sometimes" says actress Jess Cummings, who plays both the Sun Queen (the Snow Queen's goodly sister) and Thermia, one of the Snow Queen's minions. She also appeared in last year's Arts Theatre panto, as Sleeping Beauty, so knows all about what to expect.
"It's great because I get to play a baddie and goodie this year" she adds. Thermia is half of a double act with Hypo as sidekicks of the Snow Queen - Hypo-Thermia?... boooo!
"It's really, really fun to do" says Michael Loftus, who plays Hypo "I've got the incompetent sidekick thing going on as Hypo and then I also play Meya Mooney, who has got that jokey love aspect going on with the Dame. It's a real hoot to be playing both of them."
The Dame is played by Scott Berry, who also adapted the panto for a Salford audience, and has made Girda, the principal girl, rather feisty...
"She's very heroic and fab, not your Sleeping Beauty `go-to-sleep-and-play-dead-for-100-years'" laughs Emily Chesterton, who plays Girda "I'm really excited to get stuck in with her, she's going to be quite high energy."
And Girda's best friend is Kai, played by Bevan Mullineux... "Kai is quite shy and does some silly things which can get him into trouble" he says "He comes across as trying to find out who he is, maybe he needs to be a bit more mature..." Oh no, he doesn't!
"We've kept the story quite traditional" explains Roni Ellis, director of Salford Arts Theatre, who also plays the Snow Queen "It's a panto about friendship but it's got goodies and baddies in it, and all the usual stuff. It's a fun afternoon or evening out for the whole family; a mixture of things for everyone from three to ninety year olds. Panto is there for everyone."
The cast is doing 34 shows between the start on December 9th and the close on January 7th. Is that a bit daunting? "No" Emily Chesterton decides "I think we're going to be having too much fun..."
The Snow Queen
December 9th – 7th January
Salford Arts Theatre
Off Liverpool Street, M5 4BS
Tickets are from £6.50 each with a family ticket for four at £28
Performance times and days vary, and many of the shows are already sold out. To check on availability etc see www.salfordartstheatre.com or phone the box office on 925 0111
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